NET GAIN WASN'T IN THE CARDS FOR L.A. WTA TOURNAMENT MAKES ITS FINAL RUN.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Lindsay Davenport remembers her excitement when she first heard that the WTA Championships would be held at Staples Center. For the Laguna Beach resident and No. 1 women's tennis player in the world, having the important season-ending tournament in Southern California was a dream come true.

Now, like many others, she's just ready for it to leave.

``You want to be able to really get all the fans in the area excited about it,'' Davenport said. ``But that hasn't happened here. I'm a Californian. I want it here. But I think, for the sake of the event, it will be better off overseas.''

Beginning play at Staples Center this evening for the final year, the WTA Championships never fully caught on during four years in Los Angeles. The tournament moves to Madrid, Spain, next year.

The WTA Championships should be one of the most special women's tennis tournaments, right behind the Grand Slams. The season's top eight women qualify for the event, which offers $1 million to the winner.

``This is the crown jewel of the tour,'' said Larry Scott, chairman of the Women's Tennis Association.

It hasn't sparkled in Los Angeles. The resounding image of the event's L.A. run is Staples Center stands looking pathetically empty with a few thousand fans scattered loosely among the 19,000-seat arena.

Even last year in an ideal final between perhaps the sport's two biggest draws, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, the 11,397 in attendance filled less than 60 percent of the cavernous arena.

This year's tournament will be hard-pressed to do as well as last year's, and pre-tournament ticket sales have lagged.

Because they have been injured much of the season, popular Southern California natives Serena and Venus Williams did not qualify for the Championships. Along with Justine Henin-Hardenne, who pulled out because of a hamstring injury, that leaves the event without three of the year's four Grand Slam winners.

Davenport is the only American in the tournament, leaving little for the casual Southern California tennis fan to latch onto.

``It will be a great success in Madrid, I'm sure, because there's so many European players,'' Scott said. ``I think tennis is probably bigger in Europe right now.''

Scott said the plan was always for the tournament, which had a long stay in New York to packed crowds at Madison Square Garden and also in Munich, to have a temporary stay in Los Angeles. However, he admitted it might have lasted longer had there been more of a buzz.

Although attendance and excitement improved toward the end of last year's tournament, it was nowhere near what is seen at the Grand Slams.

``There's not a lot of people taking off a week of work to come here like might happen at the U.S. Open or Wimbledon,'' tournament director Bill Peterson said. ``I think the major issue is it's the middle of a busy work time, not summer vacation.''

Another problem the tournament faced is that tennis is an outdoor sport in Los Angeles. Few tennis fans in the area have ever played the sport indoors, as it is done at the WTA Championships.

``I don't know if people equate tennis to indoors in Southern California,'' Davenport said. ``We could be playing outdoors this whole week here. Everywhere else, like on the East Coast, indoor tennis is normal. But, here, it almost seems abnormal.''

Matthew Kredell, [phone]

matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Lindsay Davenport is the only American in the WTA Championships being held at Staples Center this week.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

(2 -- color) LINDSAY DAVENPORT

(3 -- color) KIM CLIJSTERS

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